March 28, 2008

What was the biggest draw to SFA when you were being recruited as a player?

A: The biggest draw was location. I was not a big-city guy, growing up in Jasper. My sister was already going to school here so I had a pretty good idea what Stephen F. Austin was all about. I came to SFA on my final recruiting trip, and I knew at that point that I was either coming here or going to Houston. When I arrived on campus I realized that the coaching staff and the atmosphere was a perfect fit for me.

During your short time back in Nacogdoches what is the biggest difference that you have noticed in the campus and the community since your playing days?

A: The campus is really growing. They have added to the campus with all the new buildings that are going up. I feel the additions to the athletic facilities, along with the new dorms, student center and recreation center have really added to the beauty of the campus. But even with all that, its odd how many times I sit back and look at the campus and feel like I've never left. Nacogdoches truly is home to me.

What is you favorite memory of SFA as a player?

A: It would have to be playing with my teammates during my senior year, especially our defensive unit. We had such a great group of guys on defense that year and won a lot of games. We finished up the year as one of the top defenses in the nation, and were the No. 1 defense against the run. I loved the coaches I played for. Coach (Lynn) Graves was a great defensive coordinator. The whole year was a great year.

What was you first thought when you were informed that you had received All-American honors?

A: It was a great honor, but I always felt like the team was the most important thing. As a player, I think if you can keep individual goals separate, and place team-oriented goals ahead of everything else your better off. I was glad how the year turned out, I just wish we could have won one more game instead of losing to Georgia Southern when we did.

How have your experiences as a player helped you in your coaching career?

A: It just helps me relate to what those guys go through on a daily basis. I played for some hardnosed coaches. My high school coach, Gene Walkoviak, brought that type of mentality to the field. I had the opportunity to play for Coach (Jim) Hess, and Coach Graves was the defensive coordinator at that time. Those two were both hardnosed guys. As a player, I felt if you had ability your work ethic put you over the top. That's that way I was trained as a player, and I try to bring that same mentality that I had as a player to the field as a coach.

What was the biggest factor in your decision to return to SFA?

A: I love this place. I went to school here, my wife went to school here and both my boys were born here in Nacogdoches. The decision to come back to SFA was an easy one for me. My only concern was how fast could I get there.

Describe what style of play you will inject into the Lumberjack defense, and what SFA fans can expect from a David Gibbs style of defense?

A: There are several things that we're going to try to get our players to adhere to. The one thing that we want to see is a great effort from our defensive players. I want to see those guys playing as hard as they can every snap. If you play with great effort, usually that will make up for a mistake. We're going to coach our kids to be physical. As a player I always wanted to make the guy that I was going up against quit because he was tired of getting hit. That was the mentality of the group that I played with in 1988, and that's the mentality that we want to bring to this group here. Another thing we're going to teach these kids is to become selfless. We want them playing for each other, playing for the university, playing for their coaches, and worrying about themselves last. If we can get that point across then we will have an opportunity to be successful.

The Lumberjacks will have a very young team in 2008. Who are some of the newcomers that you feel will come in and have an immediate impact on this team?

A: Because of our youth, and some of the holes that need to be filled there is a chance that we will have a quite a few freshmen who will have an opportunity to get on the field. Derrick Choice is a kid that I coached when I was the defensive coordinator at John Tyler before I left to go to A&M-Commerce. He already has a knowledge of the system and what is expected of him. We've brought in a couple of defensive backs who we feel have the skills to get on the field in their first season, along with Brownsboro linebacker Ryan Epperson. He has the ability to come in and play right away. There are several guys that we believe can come in and make a difference this season. This is a good group of guys.

You mentioned earlier the construction that has taken place on the SFA campus. Do you feel that will help with recruiting in years to come?

A: It helps a great deal. Anything that you add to a campus, in terms of new structures, that students can use will benefit the program in terms of recruiting. It was that way when I was here as a coach from 1989-96, our campus and the facilities were always a big draw. The university has enhanced that even more. We feel that if we can get a player on campus, we have a very good shot at signing him. Even when I was here before, we recruited against teams like Baylor, Tulsa and Rice, and with Coach (J.C.) Harper we are going to continue to recruit against those schools. Our facilities allow us to recruit against guys. It's exciting to see everything that is taking place on campus.